President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza as Chief Justice following the retirement of Chief Justice Luke Malaba.
Gwaunza who had been serving as Deputy Chief Justice becomes the first Zimbabwean female Chief Justice.
In a statement issued Thursday, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Martin Rushwaya announced the appointment which takes effect from May 15.
The Presidency also announced the appointment of Constitutional Court judge Paddington Garwe as the country’s new Deputy Chief Justice.
“His Excellency, the President, has, in terms of section 180 (2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, appointed Honourable Mr Justice Paddington Garwe as the Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic of Zimbabwe with effect from 15 May 2026,” Rushwaya said.
The statements said the two qualified for the position after serving as top judges for a long time and possessing “extensive judicial experience.”
During a special Constitutional Court sitting held in Malaba’s honour on Thursday, he said he would depart “with dignity” as “the bell of the Constitution” tolls at midnight to mark the end of his judicial career.
“The burden of justice is heavy, but it is also honourable,” Malaba said while reflecting on decades of judicial service.
Gwaunza described Malaba as “a towering figure in Zimbabwe’s legal and judicial history” whose leadership transformed the Judiciary through digitisation, decentralisation of court services and expanded access to justice.
Malaba retires after one of the most consequential judicial tenures in Zimbabwe’s history.
He had initially been expected to retire in 2021 after reaching the constitutional retirement age of 70, before Constitutional Amendment No. 2 extended judges’ retirement age to 75, allowing him to remain in office following presidential approval, a move that triggered legal and political debate.
